A court in sentenced opposition figures, businessmen and lawyers to jail terms of 13 to 66 years after they were found guilty of conspiring against state security, state media reported on Saturday.
The opposition said the charges were fabricated and that the trial was a symbol of President Kais Saied’s authoritarian rule.
What do we know about the case?
State news agency TAP first reported the sentences that ranged from 13 to 66 years, citing a judicial spokesperson as saying they were enforced immediately.
Forty people were prosecuted in the case, although more than half of them fled abroad after being charged.
Tunisian media outlets reported that the defendants were found guilty of “conspiracy against state security and belonging to a terrorist group.”
Authorities say the defendants tried to destabilize the country and overthrow Saied.
Many of those jailed were vocal critics of the president, including Nejib Chebbi, the leader of the main National Salvation Front opposition coalition.
Chebbi told reporters before Friday’s sentencing that the trial proved that Tunisian authorities wanted to “criminalize the opposition.”
Others include Chebbi’s brother, Issam Chebbi, the leader of the centrist Republican Party, Ghazi Chaouachi, the head of the center-left Democratic Current party, and Abdelhamid Jelassi, from Ennahda, an Islamic democratic movement.
A former head of intelligence, Kamel Guizan, was also one of the defendants.
Speaking just before the sentencing hearing, defense lawyer Ahmed Souab described the trial as a “farce.”
The trial began in March, but was postponed twice. Journalists and civil society groups were barred from attending.
What has President Kais Saied done since taking office?
After Tunisia emerged as the only democracy from the , Saied was elected on a populist anti-corruption platform in 2019.
Two years later, he staged a sweeping power grab, dissolving the parliament and ruling by decree.
Since then, Saied has overseen the dismissal of the judiciary and the arrest of his .
He was in a first-round vote described by observers as a sham, amid a record low turnout.
groups have repeatedly raised concerns about Saied’s rule.
In a recent report, Human Rights Watch said Tunisia has seen an “increased reliance on arbitrary detention and politically motivated prosecutions to intimidate, punish and silence its critics.”
Saied rejects accusations that he is a dictator and says he is fighting chaos and corruption that is rampant among the political elite.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
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